CBI's hunt for Ottavio Quattrocchi ends after 14 years

Argentina tells India it has the main accused in the Bofors case

NEW DELHI: Seven years after issuing a red-corner notice against Ottavio Quattrocchi, prime accused in the multi-crore Bofors bribery case, the Central Bureau of Investigation could soon lay its hands on him. The ‘absconder’ has been detained in Argentina.

Earlier, the CBI has moved the external affairs ministry for orders to bring Quattrocchi to India. The Italian, considered close to the Gandhi family, has cases of cheating and conspiracy registered against him in India.

Quattrocchi was detained on February 6 at Iguazu international airport in Argentina’s Misiones province, where he was in transit to Buenos Aires, and was taken into preventive custody.

The Argentinian authorities informed the CBI of the detention on Friday through diplomatic channels. The CBI had issued an Interpol red-corner notice against Quattrocchi in 1997.

“We are confident that Quattrocchi would soon be extradited to India,” a senior officer said. “We have to present an extradition request before an Argentinian court within 30 days. We have confirmed his identity and will soon send the request to the Argentinian authorities.”

The officer said the CBI has documentary evidence that suggests Quattrocchi embezzled more than Rs64 crore. The government had claimed in January last year that there was no concrete evidence against Quattrocchi and had the British government unfreeze his bank accounts in England.